Digital Commons Network^™

Potential Landscape Connectivity For Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) Across The Northern Prairies Of North America, Corey J. Kramer, Melanie R. Boudreau, Ryan Powers, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Ryan K. Brook

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding landscape scale connectivity is an essential component in the management of invasive species since connectivity facilitates their invasion potential. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most prolific invaders on the planet, causing billions of dollars in agricultural and environmental damage annually. Newly introduced to Canada in the 1980s, we examined wild pig invasion potential across the northern prairies from western Canada into the currently wild pig-free northern U.S. states. We used GPS collar data collected in the Canadian prairies to quantify resource selection and incorporated results into an electric circuit theory framework to evaluate potential …

Rapid Point-Of-Care Testing For Detection Of Antibodies To Toxoplasma Gondii In Black Vultures And Ring-Billed Gulls From Pennsylvania, Alexa Rosypal Von Dohlen, Sydney Randall, Jordyan Grays, Mark A. Dugo, Brian J. Hunt, Justin Brown, Kyle Van Why, Sawsan Ammar, Richard Gerhold

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most warm-blooded animals, including birds. Scavenging birds are epidemiologically important hosts because they can serve as indicators of environmental T. gondii levels. A rapid point-of-care (POC) test that detects antibodies to T. gondii in humans is commercially available. In this research, we assessed the ability of the human POC test to detect anti–T. gondii antibodies in 106 black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 23 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) from Pennsylvania, USA. Serum samples were tested with the POC test and compared to the modified …

Low Secondary Risks For Turkey Vultures From A Sodium Nitrite Toxic Bait For Wild Pigs, Justin A. Foster, John C. Kinsey, Michael J. Lavelle, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An acute and orally‐delivered toxic bait for wild pigs (Sus scrofa) containing sodium nitrite (SN) is being developed and tested for potential registration in the U.S. We evaluated oral toxicity of SN and risk of secondary consumption in a common avian scavenger, the turkey vulture (Carthartes aura), by 1) conducting an acute oral toxicity test (LD₅₀) for turkey vultures by oral gavage, and 2) allowing turkey vultures to feed on whole carcasses and digestive tracts of wild pigs that died from consuming SN‐laden bait. Captive tests were conducted during fall 2016 and spring 2017 in the …

A Method For Characterizing Disease Emergence Curves From Paired Pathogen Detection And Serology Data, Joshua Hewitt, Grete Wilson-Henjum, Derek T. Collins, Jourdan M. Ringenberg, Christopher A. Quintanal, Robert Pleszewski, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Thomas J. Deliberto, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Wildlife disease surveillance programs and research studies track infection and identify risk factors for wild populations, humans and agriculture. Often, several types of samples are collected from individuals to provide more complete information about an animal's infection history. Methods that jointly analyse multiple data streams to study disease emergence and drivers of infection via epidemiological process models remain underdeveloped. Joint-analysis methods can more thoroughly analyse all available data, more precisely quantifying epidemic processes, outbreak status, and risks.

2. We contribute a paired data modelling approach that analyses multiple samples from individuals. We use ‘characterization maps’ to link paired data …

Torque Teno Sus Virus 1: A Potential Surrogate Pathogen To Study Pig-Transmitted Transboundary Animal Diseases, Xiaolong Li, Brandon M. Parker, Raoul K. Boughton, James C. Beasley, Timothy J. Smyser, James D. Austin, Kim M. Pepin, Ryan S. Miller, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Samantha M. Wisely

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) among wild pigs (Sus scrofa) will aid in preventing the introduction or containment of TADs among wild populations. Given the challenges associated with studying TADs in free-ranging populations, a surrogate pathogen system may predict how pathogens may circulate and be maintained within wild free-ranging swine populations, how they may spill over into domestic populations, and how management actions may impact transmission. We assessed the suitability of Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) to serve as a surrogate pathogen for molecular epidemiological studies in wild pigs by investigating …

Common Grackle (Quiscalus Quiscula) Predation Of A Great Lakes Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) Nest And Its Conservation Implications, Jade R. Arneson, Dennis A. Peloquin, Thomas G. Prestby, Sarah P. Saunders

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) was observed consuming eggs from an exclosed (protected) Great Lakes piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest in the lower bay of Green Bay, Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, USA during June 2023. The observation, captured by a trail camera, is the first photographic documentation of grackle predation in any of the three piping plover breeding populations. This behavior adds common grackle to the suite of egg predators and has critical implications for this shorebird species, particularly in the Great Lakes region where piping plover is listed as federally endangered and common grackles are relatively …

Esthetic Preferences Of Orthodontists, General Dentists, And Laypersons For Indian Facial Profiles: A Cross-Sectional Study, Harshini Reddy, Ritesh Singla, Nishu Singla, Madhumitha Natarajan

Open Access archive

Background: Disparity in the esthetic perceptions between a patient and clinician could result in patient dissatisfaction with orthodontic treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to compare the perceptions of a group of orthodontists, general dentists, and laypersons about the attractiveness of Indian facial profiles. Methods: In this study, a male and a female participants’ photographs and lateral cephalograms were digitally manipulated by inserting them into Dolphin software; we considered four soft tissue parameters at a nasolabial angle, upper lip E-line, lower lip E-line, and pg-pg’, so that 20 profiles were created for each model. A visual analog scale …

An Unreported Variant Of Palmaris Longus Muscle, Satheesha Badagabettu Nayak, Vasanthakumar Packiriswamy, Soumya Kodimajalu Vasudeva

Open Access archive

Palmaris longus is a highly variable muscle of the forearm. Knowledge of its variability is of importance to plastic surgeons, hand surgeons and radiologists. During our routine dissection classes for undergraduate medical students, a peculiar palmaris longus muscle was noted in the left upper limb of an adult male cadaver. The muscle had a fleshy belly in the middle and two tendons: a proximal and distal. The distal tendon of palmaris longus gave origin to a variant fleshy slip of muscle which was inserted partly to the pisiform bone and partly merged with the hypothenar muscles. The ulnar nerve and …

A Bibliometric Review Of Functional Ingredients And Their Efficacy In Developing Functional Biscuits, Kshama Vishwakarma, Varalakshmi Chandra Sekaran, Vidya Patwardhan, Asha Kamath

Open Access archive

Introduction: Numerous studies have concluded that the functional ingredients benefit human health. Similarly, present times have seen exponential growth in functional food in bakery product segments like breads and biscuits. However, there is a lack of information on functional ingredients and their usefulness in developing functional bakery products. This bibliometric study addresses this gap by identifying the current research trends in functional ingredients. Objective: To investigate current research trends on functional ingredients and their usefulness in developing functional biscuits. Method: The study followed the “Scientific Procedures and Rationales for Systematic Literature Reviews” standards for retrieving literature. The study went through …

A Study Of Association Between Early Menarche And Anxiety In Undergraduate Students, Poorva Bakshi, Sharanya B. Shetty, Abira Sharma, K. G. Vasudha

Open Access archive

Background: Anxiety has been reported to be one of the most common epidemics in recent years. The present study focused on understanding the association between early menarche and the prevalence of anxiety and anxiety symptoms among adult undergraduate students. Methods: This was an observational, case-control study. The sample included 146 young female adults aged more than or equal to 18 years pursuing the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Sciences (BDS). Using an online questionnaire, participants were asked to recall and enter the age at which they attained menarche. We used the Generalized Anxiety …

Poweromin X Ten, A Polyherbal Formulation Improves Male Sexual Function: In Vivo And Network Pharmacology Study, Sree Lalitha Bojja, Kiran Kumar Kolathur, Bhim Bahadur Chaudhari, Gangadhar Hari

Open Access archive

Introduction: Poweromin X Ten (PXT) is a polyherbal formulation, traditionally used to enhance male sexual function. However, the safety and benefits of PXT have not been scientifically evaluated. Therefore, the present study investigated the toxicity and aphrodisiac potential of PXT in male rats and explored its principal mechanisms of action. Methods: Male Wistar rats were orally administered PXT (50 or 100 mg/kg) for 28 days, and sexual activity parameters, including latency and frequency of mounting and intromissions, were studied. The reproductive toxicity and spermatogenic potential were also examined. Furthermore, dopamine and serotonin levels in brain regions associated with sexual activity …

Ann-Based Predictive Modelling Of The Effect Of Abrasive Water-Jet Parameters On The Surface Roughness Of Az31 Mg Alloy, Deepak Doreswamy, Subraya Krishna Bhat, K. Raghunandana, Pavan Hiremath

Open Access archive

In today’s world, there is an acute need to increase the usage of ecologically sustainable materials like AZ31 magnesium (Mg) alloy, possessing high strength-to-weight ratio and biocompatibility. However, its machinability through conventional machining techniques remains a challenge due to its high flammability. AWJM of Mg alloys is a promising method in this scenario. The present study investigated the effects of three important operating parameters, viz., stand-off distance (SOD), feed rate, and number of passes on the surface roughness parameters (Ra, Rq and Rz). Experiments were conducted based on Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array, and the effects of parameters on Ra, Rq …

Cervical Carcinoma And Diabetes Mellitus Among Women In Southern India, Mahima Advaitha Ramakrishnan, Prasanna Mithra, Sourjya Banerjee, Poulomi Chatterjee

Open Access archive

Introduction: Cervical carcinoma is the second commonest malignancy among females worldwide. In India, about 365.71 million women aged over 15 years are more vulnerable to cervical carcinoma. Risk factors may include immunodeficiency diseases, herpes, smoking and oral contraceptives. Scientific literature has documented that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could aggravate the risk of some malignancies (hepatic, pancreatic, endometrial). This study aimed to evaluate the potential association between cervical carcinoma and diabetes mellitus in women. Material and Methods: Patients with cervical carcinoma, with or without diabetes, were assigned to two groups based on attainment of menopause. SPSS version 11.5 was used …

Unveiling The Fibrotic Puzzle Of Endometriosis: An Overlooked Concern Calling For Prompt Action, Megha M. Anchan, Guruprasad Kalthur, Ratul Datta, Kabita Majumdar

Open Access archive

Endometriosis is a benign, estrogen-dependent, persistent chronic inflammatory heterogeneous condition that features fibrotic adhesions caused by periodic bleeding. The characteristic ectopic lesions are marked by a widely spread dense fibrotic interstitium comprising of fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, collagen fibers, extracellular proteins, inflammatory cells, and active angiogenesis. Fibrosis is now recognized as a critical component of endometriosis because of which current treatments, such as hormonal therapy and surgical excision of lesions are largely ineffective with severe side effects, high recurrence rates, and significant morbidity. The symptoms include dysmenorrhea (cyclic or noncyclic), dyspareunia, abdominal discomfort, and infertility. The significant lack of knowledge regarding the …

Factors Contributing To Persistent Shoulder Pain After Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair: Protocol For A Scoping Review, Anupama Prabhu B, G. Arun Maiya, Vivek Pandey, Kiran K.V. Acharya

Open Access archive

Introduction: Rotator cuff (RC) tears are the most common and disabling musculoskeletal ailments among patients with shoulder pain. Although most individuals show improvement in function and pain following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR), a subgroup of patients continue to suffer from persistent shoulder pain following the surgical procedure. Identifying these factors is important in planning preoperative management to improve patient outcomes. Objective: This scoping review aims to identify biological factors, psychological factors, and social determinants of health contributing to the development of persistent pain in individuals after the ARCR procedure. Inclusion criteria: All prospective and retrospective longitudinal studies reporting the …

To Busan And Beyond: Mobilities Of Korean War Trauma, Raymon D. Ritumban

English Faculty Publications

The Korean War (1950-1953) leveled the peninsula, losing and displacing millions of its people. Hundreds of thousands of Koreans from North and South found themselves in refugee camps in Busan. This traumatizing event is carefully delineated in Yi Hochol’s “Far from Home” and Han Musook’s “The Fragment.” Through an analysis of these short stories using Kate Coddington’s theory of contagious trauma, the paper forwards that the trauma caused by the war spreads, compounds, and expands within the infrastructures—namely, freight cars and warehouse—that facilitate the movements of refugees. In “Far from Home,” during the outbreak of the Korean War, four North …

The Lawlessness Of Sackett V. Epa, William W. Buzbee

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

When the Supreme Court speaks on a disputed statutory interpretation question, its words and edicts undoubtedly are the final judicial word, binding lower courts and the executive branch. Its majority opinions are the law. But the Court’s opinions can nonetheless be assessed for how well they hew to fundamental elements of respect for the rule of law. In particular, law-respecting versus law-neglecting or lawless judicial work by the Court can be assessed in the statutory interpretation, regulatory, and separation of power realms against the following key criteria, which in turn are based on some basic rule of law tenets: analysis …

Grid Culture, Eliot Bates, Arseni Troitski

Publications and Research

In this essay, we provide our initial ethnographic research about lines, which at a superficial level can be considered a platform, but which is also synonymous with a community of 8800 users, and with 606k unique posts authored by these users that in aggregate constitute a discourse network (Aufschreibesysteme, see Kittler 1990). lines—as platform, community, and discourse network—is primarily designed to support the development, documentation and user-generated code efforts specific to a set of hardware synthesis-related objects (the two we will focus on are called Norns and Grid; we’ll discuss what they are and what they do through the subsequent …

Case Report: The Effect Of Automated Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapy On Lymphatic Contractility In 4 Distinct Cases, Melissa B Aldrich, John C Rasmussen, Ron J Karni, Caroline E Fife, Frank Aviles, Kristen A Eckert, M Mark Melin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

INTRODUCTION: Automated manual lymphatic drainage therapy (AMLDT) is available for home use in the form of a pneumatic mat of 16 pressurized air channels that inflate and deflate to mimic the stretch and release action of manual lymphatic drainage therapy. Four cases (a patient with complex regional pain syndrome and lymphedema, a healthy patient, a breast cancer survivor with chronic pain, and a patient with a history of abdominal surgery) underwent near-infrared fluorescence lymphatic imaging (NIRFLI) with AMLDT to evaluate the effect of AMLDT on lymphatic pumping and pain.

METHODS: Each patient received 32-36 injections of 25 μg indocyanine green …

Quantifying The Ecological Effects Of Salix Fragilis On Riparian Habitat In Kittitas County, Washington, Landon Shaffer

All Master's Theses

Invasive species threaten plant community structure and function globally. Riparian areas, the zone near streams where water influences vegetation, are especially sensitive to invasive species colonization, suffering large-scale shifts in community composition. Salix fragilis (crack willow) is a nonnative riparian species abundant in the lower elevation tributaries of central Washington. Some speculate whether this willow should be listed as invasive in Washington, despite a lack of regional supporting evidence. I studied riparian communities dominated by either S. fragilis or native species in the Kittitas Valley and measured biodiversity, quantified differences in solar attenuation, and compared leaf decomposition rates to learn …

Biomechanical Evaluation And Intraoperative Strategies For Addressing Suture Anchor Failure In Osteoporotic Bone, Richard Marchese, Samir Baig, Sofia P. Hidalgo, Jaclyn Brunner, David E. Komatsu, Edward D. Wang

Stony Brook Orthopaedic and Musculoskeletal Journal

Purpose: When aiming to enhance the strength of a suture anchor construct, typically in osteoporotic bone, it is often suggested to employ a method referred to as "under-tapping" (UT). A comprehensive assessment of tapping protocols for anchor placement was conducted to ascertain if this contributes to the prevention of anchor failure. Further, supplementary fixation techniques were examined to offer methods for secure fixation in the event of unanticipated failure.

Hypothesis: Under-tapping can increase load to failure compared to standard tapping (ST). If the initial fixation fails, using larger diameter anchors or bioabsorbable Trim-IT pins (TIP) via cross-pinning can provide stable …

Electric Vehicles: Public Perceptions, Expectations, And Willingness-To-Pay, Bruno Cesar Krause Moras, Xiaowei Chen, Kenny Chandra Wijaya, Satish Ukkusuri, Samuel Labi, Konstantina Gkritza

JTRP Technical Reports

The primary objective of this project was to understand Indiana resident’s perspectives on electric vehicles (EVs), including adoption incentives and barriers, awareness of adoption incentives, charging preferences, and general travel patterns. A secondary objective was to establish a framework for identifying EV users, detailing their trips, and generating predictions for EV adoption and usage. To achieve these objectives, a stated preference survey was conducted with 1,217 Indiana residents. Two datasets containing travel behavior data were incorporated to generate synthetic data. The survey results revealed that Indiana EV users are typically middle-aged males living and working in urban areas. EV users …

Mortality Index Of Drosophila Melanogaster, Following Traumatic Brain Injury, Megan N. Ashworth

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with immediate and long-term consequences that can be divided into primary and secondary injuries. A primary injury results due to the direct damage inflicted on the brain by the hit, whereas a secondary injury takes more time to manifest due to the cascade of molecular events that lead to cellular damage and death within the brain. This study analyzes mortality as a secondary injury following traumatic brain injury in the presence of a human neurodegenerative genetic risk factor, APOE ε4. The High Impact Trauma (HIT) device developed by Katzenberger et al. (2013) was utilized …

Religious Right Countermovement Tactics: Taking Down Lgbtq+ Rights One Letter At A Time, Hannah J. O'Connor

Political Science Honors Projects

The group we know today as the “Religious Right” (“R.R.”) has been in contention with the LGBTQ+ movement since the early 1970s. Using a single case study method, I analyze how, if at all, Religious Right framing and LGBTQ+ counter-framing evolved at a point in time where the R.R. recognized it was losing its fight against same-sex marriage. Using Arizona’s 2013 Senate Bill 1045 (one of the nation’s first bathroom bills) as a case study, I find that the Religious Right translates protectionist framing from its anti-gay marriage crusade into its anti-trans rights offensive, and the LGBTQ+ movement also responds …

Teachers’ Perceptions Of Formative Assessment For Students With Disability: A Case Study From India, Anannya Chakraborty, Amit Kaushik

Assessment and Reporting

India has made significant progress in improving the enrolment of students with disability but still has a long way to go before schools can be called inclusive. Despite the widely acknowledged relevance of assessments in shaping teaching and learning practices, little research has been done in disability-inclusive assessment in the Indian setting. In this paper, we explore teachers’ perceptions of disability inclusion in formative assessments, including the use of various kinds of accommodations and adaptations, factors that affect the implementation of disability-inclusive formative assessments, and challenges. It is argued that teacher professional development and teacher–parent partnerships are essential for ensuring …

Physcomitrium Patens Csld Functional Analysis, Henry Purnell

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Due to its small genome and dominant haploid life stage, Physcomitrium patens (formerly Physcomitrella patens) has become a model organism for studying plant genetics. The focus of this study was the Cellulose Synthase gene superfamily of P.patens, specifically the Cellulose Synthase-Like Ds (CSLD) family of genes. Previous studies into CSLD genes were preformed using RNA interference (RNAi) to preform a loss of function analysis on the entire PpCSLD gene family. The loss of function of the CSLD gene family resulted in inhibited protonemal tip growth indicating the CSLD gene family may regulate protonema formation. To further study the function of …

Rhode Island Composting Barriers And Solutions, Nicole Vanwort

Student Research Design & Innovation Symposium

Every year, there is approximately 1.3 trillion tons of food waste sent to the landfill that breakdowns anaerobically releasing approximately 3.3 trillion tons of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere, with methane being the most detrimental contribution to climate change. In response to landfill greenhouse gas concerns, the EPA created the Food Waste Hierarchy, a list of six potential ways to divert food out of the landfill. Amongst this list is composting through aerobic and anaerobic digestion. In 2016, Rhode Island enacted a commercial food waste ban for food producers creating over a hundred and four tons of waste per year. …

The Effect Of Stem Education On The Hypothetical-Creative Reasoning Skills Of The Pre-School Pre-Service Teachers, Zehra Çakır, Sema Altun Yalçın

Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The study aims to explore the effect of STEM education on the hypothetical-creative reasoning skills of the pre-school pre-service teachers. The pre-school pre-service teachers were educated with STEM education for 14 weeks within the scope of the study. A mixed-method was employed in the study. The quantitative data were collected with the "Hypothetical-creative Reasoning Skills Inventory” in the study. The hypothetical-creative reasoning Inventory was applied to the pre-school pre-service teachers as a pre-test before the STEM education and a post-test after the STEM education. The qualitative data were obtained with a semi-structured interview form applied to the pre-school pre-service teachers. …

What Is The Goal Of Defining Family? Best Practices For Teaching Family Communication, Kaitlin E. Phillips

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Family Communication is an inherently value-laden class. When students walk into the classroom, some of them come with a very negative view of family, whereas others walk in with an extremely narrow view of family. By prioritizing and facilitating the importance of multiple definitions of families, instructors can move through more complex topics over the course of the semester knowing that students have an understanding of why defining family is important—even if they are hesitant to change their definition. In this article I present eight best practices for teaching family communication. This set of practices provides a foundation for educators …

University Of Richmond Magazine - Autumn 2024

University of Richmond Magazine

The University of Richmond's Alumni Magazine was first published as The Alumni Bulletin in 1936 and continues to this day as the University of Richmond Magazine.